Huacaya Alpaca
- Status
- Critically Endangered
- Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- This animal is currently Least Concern
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
Huacaya Alpaca
Vicugna pacos
One of only two breeds of alpacas in the world, Huacaya alpacas were domesticated over 6,000 years ago from Guanacos and Vicuñas. They were originally bred by the Incas in South America. They are modified ruminants that are related to camels and llamas. Modified ruminants, like true ruminants, use foregut fermentation to break down their food but modified ruminants only have a three compartment stomachs instead of 4 compartments.
Huacaya alpacas have not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because they are a domesticated species. However, their wild relatives–the Gurancos and Vicuña–are listed as Least Concern.
What are they like?
Physical Description: Huacaya alpacas have a slender body with a long neck and a small head with long, pointed ears. They have soft fiber (fleece) covering their entire bodies and come in a variety of colors like gray, black, and brown. Males have longer canine and incisor teeth compared to females. Otherwise, males and females look similar. Adults weigh around 100-125 pounds. They can grow to be 36 inches tall.
Life Span: In the wild, Huacaya alpacas can live up to 15-20 years. In zoos, they have the same lifespan.
Diet: In the wild, Huacaya alpacas eat grass and other vegetation. At the Zoo, our alpacas eat alpaca grain, carrots, and hay.
Social Structure: Huacaya alpacas are highly social and live in herds.
Habitat: Huacaya alpacas are domesticated animals and can be found all over the world. However, they originate from the Altiplano Plateau in the Andes Mountains in Peru and Chile, 4000 miles above sea level.
Did you know?
- Alpacas communicate through body languages and vocalizations. Some common vocalizations include humming, snorting, clucking, grumbling, and screeching.
- While they do sometimes spit at other alpacas, they rarely spit at humans.
- The fibers of these alpacas grow perpendicular to their body. They are raised for their fibers and their fleece is known as the “fiber of the Gods.”
- There are four South American camelids: the alpaca and the llama, both domesticated, and the vicuña and the guanaco, both wild species that diverged from a common ancestor around 2 million years ago.